World's Youngest Divorcee Takes On Paris and a Real Childhood

In an act of courage driven by despair and fear, Nujood Ali walked out on her abusive marriage last February, after suffering daily beatings and rape at the hands of her husband. A sad story, but not a unique story, right?

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Nujood Ali, 10, made headlines when she bravely ran away from her husband, a man three times her age. Her dream is to work as an attorney for women's rights in Yemen. "I no longer think about marriage." Read More

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The young girl shocked citizens of her native Yemen last year after she walked out on her arranged marriage to a motorcycle delivery man more than 30 years her senior. Nujood's father married her off to the man for a dowry of $250, and for two months she begged her husband every day to return her to her family.

He refused, and so Nujood took matters into her own hands. One afternoon when her mother sent her on an errand, Nujood took a bus into the crowded capital city of Sanaa. She then hailed a taxi to the courthouse. Not knowing what else to do, she sat on a bench outside a courtroom all day, until a judge noticed her lingering in the empty hallway. He asked what she needed, and the girl said simply, "I came for a divorce."Horrified by the details Nujood revealed, the judge took her home to play with his own 8-year-old daughter. Two days later, he granted her a divorce, making her (at least at that time) the world's youngest divorcée. Her ordeal prompted Yemen's lawmakers to increase the age of consent for marriage from 15 to 18.

Two girls, ages 9 and 12, have since sued for divorce. But Nujood's influence is extending far beyond the borders of her homeland; an 8-year-old Saudi Arabian girl recently sued for divorce and won. Nujood hopes to inspire a broad movement of girls to fight their child marriages, adding that "they should not be scared of their fathers or husbands."

When asked what she plans for the years ahead, she answered: "I want to be a lawyer." She added that she "no longer thinks about marriage" and has no desire to wed again.

Nujood also hopes to advocate for women's rights in Yemen, and her visit to Paris included a meeting with France's Human Rights Minister, Rama Yada, and Urban Affairs Minister Fadela Amara, with whom she discussed the problem of child marriage.

How tragic is it that this advice is coming from the mouth of a girl who has yet to reach age 12? Here in the United States we talk about protracted adolescence and the boomerang generation, while young girls around the world are forced to deal with situations most adults cannot handle.

And Nujood's ordeal isn't over, despite the glamorous outcome of her tale. She still risks retribution for her courageous act from the male members of her family, and both her father and her ex-husband were released from custody only 10 days after being arrested.

Dad says he only set the marriage up to protect his daughter from violence on the streets, but I find that hard to swallow, particularly considering the violence she suffered at the hands of her husband. And just where was her mother in all of this?

The whole story is despicable. My own daughter is just six years younger than Nujood. How could any parent even consider such a thing? Should cultural traditions that harm children, no matter how ingrained, be eradicated? What do you think?

Prevalence of Child Marriages WorldwideChild marriage, although illegal in most locations throughout the world, is still prevalent in many cultures. An astounding 100 million girls under the age of 18 will be married off during the next ten years.
Considered a human rights violation, the effects on these young girls include poverty, premature pregnancies and births, early mortality rates, illiteracy and physical abuse and violence.

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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 6)

Does the question even need to be asked? Of course any form of abuse wether it is done to an adult or a child should be eradicated. There is no excuse in the world that an abuser could give that should excuse their behavior and allow it to continue. Unfortunately in nations like Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iran much of the population either condones violence against women or turns a blind eye to it. I don't know what to do about it since the people who accept this kind of behavior are religious maniacs, the worst kind of crazy there is.

It is very complicated to interfer with practices in another country. We do, however, have to look for ways to empower the women of Yemen and other countires where atrocities are being committed agains women and all people. Education starting with teaching people that the religious principals are siimply made up by other people who want to control them. When you deal with the religious dogma and return to a personal spirituality that has no dogma, people will not bow down to these absurd practices. The second piece is to relieve poverty so parents are not tempted to sell their children into sex slavery.

There are tons of missing mother's/wives. There are tons of dead children, right here in the US. This isn't some crime, that is unique to the Middle East or some Muslim nation. This is a crime, that is taking place right here, right now. Those people in some of those compounds... What do you think the old men are doing? They claim to have married the young girls. They get them pregnant... Give me a break... This is a problem the world over... Not just for Brown people either...

Carol, why on earth are you trying to turn this into a racial/color issue? Can you not read? The issue is not the color of her skin, or even her religion, the issue of the story is that her father sold her into a nightmarish 'arrangement' with a guy 3 times her age and despite her tender age, she had the courage to get herself a divorce and that other child-brides are now inspired to free themselves as well. The epitath is that nobody can move themselves forward by oppressing others.

Your loosely held adjenda would suggest that there must be a strict level of perfection (in a country of 300,000,000 people in order to celebrate and be inspired by this child's courageous act. Last year did see the raid of a religious compound where children were subjected to similar 'marriages' - the compound was closed and the children were taken into custody. BUT IT IS THE EXCPETION here, and this is COMMON in other parts of the world - another point you seem to miss. And unfortunately, yes, Islamic countries do seem to have a LOT more of this than other countries, if they don't like this fact, they need to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT (like the lawmakers in the story did) rather than getting bent out of shape when it becomes obvious.

Kudos to the lawmakers for increasing the age of consent to adulthood; and much luck in enforcing it.

Marriage between unequals will ALWAYS end tragically; it is unavoidable, so it should not be allowed.

I know that it's easy to blame religion for all the faults in the world but that's not what is happening. the beatings and rapes that these woman endure are not because of the religion that people choose to follow but the actions that they choose to take. That is where the fault lies. "Everyone chooses"

All comments which is coming from people must of them are ignorance of islam, a girl can married from the age of 13, and her husband will treat her well the way islam make it all things will go fine but if he fail things will go wrong.Islam make this bcos of eradicating prostitution and fornification which is now the driking water of western world starting at the age of nine(9)a girl deliverd a baby in the USA through prostitution act, then which one is more recognise to go with(those married at the age of 12 and above and those starting illigal sex act at the age of 9) between muslim act of marriage and christians act of sex abuse, please judge yourself. thank younuranigeria

What has God got to do with what humans do? This perception always bothers me. God provided life, He provided free will. He provided the Bible as a guide to believing in Him and He very much hopes we CHOOSE Him.But He doesn't force anyone and He doesn't control what we do, we control what we do.Belief is a choice, living by His word is a choice. He gave us choice.Humans are weak and temptations are hard to ignore but don't blame God for human's weaknesses and willingness to give into them.

The only way you can prove there is a so-called "God" is by having your friend, which I assume is purely imaginary, demonstrate his (or her) "God"-like properties in front of a board of independent scientists.

What does God have to do with this. God is not a punishing God. You should be saying "Where are the parents"? They should be jailed. And the men marring these young girls are pervs and should be casterated Immediantly. If you know anything about our Lord, Then you know You can and will be forgive because he gave his son for us, but also he put you in your car (your body) and said drive the car down the right road as It says in the BIBLE. or drive off a mountain or cliff and have a hard life. Everything in this world happens for a reason. Sometimes we do not know what those reasons are for a while, but, eventually you will know, If you stay on the right road. Now, Pray for those girls and all the girls and boys getting abused everywhere in america and every where else in the world. He will hear your prayer. If only you BELIEVE and have HOPE..God bless you and have a wonderful evening.Teresa

Yes, Sorin: there is a God, and this is happening, along with many, many other evil things in this world, such as slavery, "ethnic cleansing," and abortion. In fact, the newly-elected President of the United States has vowed to push legislation that could force a pro-life physician to puncture a hole in the head of a fourteen-year-old girl's almost-born, full-term, healthy baby, and suction out the baby's brains, even if the physician objects on moral and/or religious beliefs, and without being allowed to notify her parents or offer her alternative options! But God neither does these things nor condones them. He gave mankind free will, to see what we would do with it, and so far, we have failed miserably, as evidenced by these and other evils.Now we will probably be besieged by those hate-filled atheists and other anti- "Bible thumpers," who will call us names, berate us, and offer absolutely no solutions for these problems!

this is so wrong.i just this little girl can get over what has happened to her.she is the same age of my son and i wouldn't know what to do if something like this happened to any of my children.their rules need changed.

Castrate all the men involved !!! I don't give a damn about "culture..??" This "culture" is created by men, for men who like to rape children. I don't care if it's their culture or their tradition or their religion...it's a perversion.. There is right and there is wrong. There are no gray zones. If you're wondering how I feel being so sure of myself?? Well, I feel real good.

there are many grey areas in the world, but this is NOT one of them, i agree. Nothing, no culture, religion, family or individual should be able subject children to this. it's just wrong. Nujood Ali may have bravely freed herself from her marriage, but the emotional scars will always remain. castration isn't enough, people who would do this to a child, to any unwilling person, should be removed, permanently, from society. death is too good for them, but i do believe that they should be killed, less they hurt another as they did Nujood.

That the custom of child marriage and tolerance of abuse within it is "engrained in the culture" should bring shame to the people of that culture. It is not only the overt victims of violence that suffer because this evil is allowed to prevail: the WHOLE SOCIETY suffers. How can the educated and whole hearted among them show the rest that these abominations ar bringing disrepute upon them, and holding them back in economic and developmental terms. Kudos to the Judge who helped this child. I trust that the authorities will protect her against the revenge of the adults whose will she had the temerity to oppose.

Also, this "cultural habit" is NOT approved in their own holy books, so the Divine Will they purport to respect so deeply is, in this regard, being wholly disrespected.

Mary, don't be too sure that their holy book doesn't condone this, Muhammod had a child bride who was only 8 or 9 years old. Muhammod was the prophet wrote their holy laws. Those people live like animals.

If Nujood Ali is in danger from male members of her family (and I'm sure she is), then those individuals need to be jailed. If the government refuses to jail the male members of her family, then I, personally would like to see them executed. That isn't going to happen, though, so Nujood Ali should be removed from their sphere of influence, be given a new identity, and be allowed to live her life normally and unafraid.